Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Tuesday 02/27 A.M. Quickie:How to Go From "Bubble" to "In"

The fastest way to get off the bubble is to deliver a huge, high-profile, national-TV win in the last week of the season. By that standard, Syracuse is as good as in.

The Orange beat national (and my) bandwagon Georgetown, newly ranked No. 9 and previously winners of 11 straight. (It had to end at some point, I guess.)

It was a signature win for the 'Cuse, and precisely the kind of shellacking (where Green and Hibbert were totally shut down) where you (uh: I) have to re-think all of my previous assumptions about Georgetown's destiny as a Final Four team this season.

CBB Top 25: Let me make a prediction – at most, 1 team in the current Top 4 will make the Final Four. (Biggest question: How will the absence of forward Brian Butch – potentially for the entire NCAA Tournament – hurt Wisconsin's chances?)

Meanwhile: Memphis remains overrated at No. 6 (did pollsters learn nothing from last year's team?); the biggest discrepancy remains UNLV, ranked No. 12 in the RPI and No. 29 in the AP poll; and who among us would be bold enough to give Southern Illinois an NCAA Tournament 1-seed if the season ended today. What if I were to tell you the Salukis are ranked No. 4 in the current RPI? I say: Why not?

(Speaking of mid-majors: Winthrop is getting a lot of love from the mainstream media. Legit Sweet 16 darkhorse or over-hyped?)

CBB Game to Watch tonight: Florida at Tennessee. Can the Gators rebound from losing two of their last three, at one of the tougher road destinations in the SEC? (And what will Pat Summitt do to match Bruce Pearl's shirtless cheerleading for her women's team? The game is televised, so we'll find out.)

NBA: The symbol that the defending champ's reign is really over? The Heat lost to... the Knicks. Eddy Curry (28 pts, 11 reb) outplayed Shaq. Who would have guessed that, between the two teams, the one with more playoff potential in 2007 on February 27 would be... Isiah's gang.

Shaq: 25K Points, 10K Rebounds. Six other players have reached that plateau. Can you name them?

NBA Injury Watch 1: Maybe the Clippers SHOULD have traded Shaun Livingston. The oft-injured young PG dislocated his knee and is done for the season. (The picture will undoubtedly fly around the blog world... and it's pretty gruesome.)

NBA Injury Watch 2: If the Wizards can get Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison simultaneously healthy by the playoffs (and keep them that way), they could have a puncher's chance at winning the East.

Sonics owners the new Tim Hardaway?* One of the most rousing blog debates over the last 24 hours has been the one on Henry Abbott's TrueHoop after he linked to a story in the Stranger (from Seattle) about how the new owners of the Sonics have given lots of money to anti-gay-marriage causes. Check out the Comments section – and if you've got something intelligent to say about it, I'd recommend adding to the debate over there, rather than recreating the wheel over here (which you know could happen). Please keep in mind the Golden Rule of Blog Commenting: You aren't going to change anyone's mind, just like no one is going to change yours.

(* - Yes, it's an easy, cheap joke. But you can expect that anything that has to do with someone in sports associated negatively to gay people will be a "new Tim Hardaway" moment.)

YouTube Video of the Day: Bootleg of Team USA in layup lines in Korea. Like Arenas' post-practice 3-point contest, one of those things you hear myths about but never get a chance to see. (via NBA Fanhouse, and hat tip to JE Skeets for pointing out the way the Korean fans mock Kirk Hinrich for not being able to dunk.)

NFL: Anyone want to trade for Willis McGahee? He's on the block. (Speaking of available, Joey Harrington is about to be, too.)

Bronx Zoo Watch: What "personal issue" do you think Johnny Damon needed two days off for? Just curious, of course.

Israel Baseball League is a go: This lends itself to many jokes, so let's try to avoid making too many of them blatantaly anti-Semitic. Jokes about the dearth of Jewish MLB players is fair game. But please note that I own the special collector's edition set (plus update set!) of Jewish MLB players baseball cards.

Finally: Speaking of baseball cards, would you pay $2.35 million for a 1909 Honus Wagner, perhaps the most valuable baseball card on Earth? You might not, but someone did. So here's the question: Is there a particular sports trading card (baseball or otherwise) that is/was particularly special to you?

76 comments:

The cynic in me wants to say, why are we putting Marvin Miller in? For turning baseball into an entertainment industry, with primadonnas who have priced their product out of the reach of its middle-class constituency?

I don't *trust* Georgetown. The hard part is going to be picking which round they lose in. Could be round 1, could be the finals. Ugh. Every time Devendorf made a play last night, I had Pearl Jam's "Even Flow" stuck in my head.

The best cards are the ones I find inadvertently going back now through my collection ('78 through '92 or so)....a rookie Don Mattingly....a '92 Pedro Martinez....John Candelaria '79 (with the stats from the back completely misaligned and offset with the next card from the sheet). Frank Thomas 1990 draft pick card....

Dan it does not make you a bad person to have the set of cards from all the Jewish baseball players, I also own it. It is actually pretty interesting.

What about Luis Tiant? Should he get into the Hall of Fame? I hope the veterns committee does the right thing and put him in.

This is looking like it is going to be one of the hardest tourneys in recent memory to fill out a pool for. This is the one year there is no clear favorite or 2 or 3 teams you can pretty much say are going to the final four. There are probably 10-12 teams that could potentially win this or lose in the first weekend.

One of the 10 greatest third-basemen of all time, fantastic ambassador for the game, and, oh yeah, a guy who played secretly and put up great numbers with a devastating disease (diabetes) that ultimately reduced his career's longevity and took his legs, in an era before diabetes was truly manageable.

If Ron Santo doesn't get in to the Hall of Fame, the Veterans' Committee should be disbanded. Even Bill James says Ron Santo is one of the top 6 third basemen in baseball history, and if one of the 10 best or so in history at their position can't get in, then I will never visit that sham of a Hall.

Correct me if I'm wrong...but isn't the reason the Honus Wagner card so expensive is because at the time, baseball cards came in tobacco packages and he was against the use of tobacco, so he told them to pull the card. Therefore, I think only like 4 were made or something like that. I could be wrong.

When I was young...my 2 favorite cards were 1985 Mark McGwire Team USA card and 1989 Topps Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. Both are now probably worth $2 each. Sad.

The T206 Honus Wagner card has long been the most famous baseball card in existence. Known as the "Holy Grail", the "Mona Lisa of baseball cards" and "The King of Cards", an example of this card was the first baseball card to be sold for over a million dollars.[1]. That very card was once owned by hockey great Wayne Gretzky and sold at auction for 2.35 million US dollars on February 26, 2007. [2] One theory for the card's scarcity is that Wagner, a non-smoker, requested the production of this card be halted since it was being sold as a marketing vehicle for tobacco products.[verification needed] The problem with this theory is that Wagner appears on a tobacco piece produced by Recius in the late 1800s. Another theory postulates that Wagner was not offered any compensation for the use of his likeness. Consequently, he supposedly withdrew his permission to print any more copies.[3]

The ultimate lesson to learn when looking back at Cuse-Georgetown is that there is no pick this year (past the first round) that can be made with 100% confidence. Anything can (and likely will) happen this year. Almost everyone with a chance at a top 4 seed has had a significant loss in the last week or two:

don't know if you all read the daily quickie, but last year, Dan picked Memphis to lose first round to a 16 team. Don't know what he has against them, but he said last year they were one of the worst #1 seeds of all time. but yeah, they did make the elite 8.

McGahee has fallen out of favor in Buffalo. Watching him play, he does not give 100% effort all of the time, has been prone to injuries that cost him 1-2 games per year (not realted to the knee) or take him out of games early, and does not seem to hit the hole with a burst anymore. His o-line is terrible, granted, but there are games when it seems he just does isn't trying. He needs someone to give him a good kick in the ass. His TD production is way down since his rookie season. He's a great talent, but just from watching him, it seems like he's on cruise control and is not committed to getting any better. Just my opinion.

At the radio station I work at, we use CNN Headline News Radio, which is simply the audio feed of the TV Station CNN Headline News. They were just "showing" the Livingston injury and all you can hear in the video clip is a blood-curdling scream (presumably from Livingston) Needless to say, I am glad I haven't seen it yet

I speak from experience - that is possibly the most painful thing you can do to your leg without amputating it. I did almost exactly the same thing about 8 years ago, though it wasn't in anything as noble as a basketball game.

I slipped on a patch of ice during a snowball fight. My knee went from the front of my leg to the back. Not a nice feeling.

I did read the Quickie and I understood where he was coming from last year...and I understand where he's coming from this year as well. Memphis was (before the tournament) overrated last year and they're overrated this year. That said, to ask if "pollsters learned nothing from last years team" implies they were a major disappointment. If they did learn anything, it's that this team is good and has the potential for a deep run.

Syracuse! I thoroughly enjoyed that game last night. Cuse-Georgetown was the big rivalry in the 80s and early 90's until John Thompson retired. How great it is to see Thompson's son, John Thompson III coaching Patrick Ewing's son, Patrick Ewing Jr.

Like someone said, this game meant more to Syracuse since they were on the bubble. They still are but if they can win one more, they are a lock. Even if they lost against Villanova and 1st rnd in Big East Tourney, they still might be in.

As far as baseball cards go, I put them up there with Vulcan ears and going to Star Trek conventions. I loved the show but know where to cut it off. I love baseball but I am not going to sit home and memorize starting lineups from the 70's and reams of sports trivia. I also don't understand the collecting of baseball cards. But to each his own I guess. People probably don't understand my interests either.

cycledan: It's tough to rationalize anything you used to do as a kid. Why was playing with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures so much fun? Doing that now would be considered weird.

Collecting baseball cards as a kid was like playing a scratch lottery ticket. You bought the pack, maybe your favorite player would be in there, maybe you'd get the next big rookie card. Anything could happen in those packs of cards (except for enjoying the bubble gum). It was just fun, sometimes fun is hard to explain, or rationalize, but damnit it sure was fun and I won't apologize for collecting baseball cards as a hobby when I was 12, except I will apologize for collecting the WCW cards, and the looney tunes baseball cards...I can't explain those

Here is a question: Why the hell where the Syracuse fans rushing the court? It is not like they are a bad team and just beat the #1 team in the country. This ruching the court thing is starting to get over used.

More annoying is when a team that's supposed to win big barely ekes one out and that's cause for celebration from the home fans. I went to GW and I was embarassed when we rushed the court against Charlotte last year. WE WERE SUPPOSED TO WIN. THE FACT THAT WE WON BY 2 WITH A BUZZER BEATER IN OVERTIME IS NOT A REASON TO CELEBRATE.

I haven't seen the Livingston video (where can I see it??) so I don't know about that but I remember watching a college bowl game a few years back with Kentucky in it, and they had a really good TE (couldn't tell you who it was) who caught the ball and then got tackled. He was then writhing in pain so the camera zoomed in and his elbow was dislocated. The lower half of his arm was about two inches back so it was kinda forming a T at the elbow. So Gross!!!!

I don't buy the 'Hoyas didn't need the game as much' theory for why my Orange won (in a game nowhere near as one-sided as the final score; they pulled away in the last four or five minutes). This is Syracuse and Georgetown playing basketball. Much like an Ohio State / Michigan football game, you throw out the records and just watch.

Memphis' free show shooting problems is going to cause them problems in the tournament. That Gonzaga game was revealing in that respect, with the Zags hitting their free throws and only losing because Memphis hit a couple of crazy three-pointers.

Seeing the Livingston video this morning, the first thing I thought of was that bowl game between Kentucky and (I believe) Syracuse when the TE dislocated his elbow. I remember noticing that injury live (which I took as indication of how bad an injury it was). If memory serves, while they did show the close-up post-injury, they didn't show the replay of that.

Also, it was hard to tell in the Sportcenter clip, but it didn't look like Livingston was crying like Wade was. Would that mean that Livingston is tough, or that Wade is a wuss.

I collected cards from the mid-70s through the mid-80s and they all still sit in boxes in my basement. My wife wants me to throw them away, but for some reason I just can't do it. Lots of great memories of going to the store and buying the cards and flipping through them. And I loved the smell of the gum even though it chewed like cardboard.

BTW, Ron Santo is a Hall of Famer. I hope the vets committee finally came around to that fact. But you know what's sad? If he gets in that means in the late 1960s the Cubs could put four HOFers on the field at one time (Williams, Banks, Jenkins, Santo) and STILL couldn't win! Love my Cubbies!

everyone knows the most valueable trading cards are MAGIC: The Gathering.

can a honus wagner defeat a sea monster with unholy rings of protections, or a wood nympth with a spell defelctor? not even close. i dont see how a jewish MLB card set even makes in to my non-tournament deck. i mean, what's thier max damage, 1, 2 health points? pathetic.

The whole reason to keep the cards now....had some guys from my softball team over for dinner/drinks...we start remembering every random utility infielder from 1981, and most of them have a story to them. The cards just make a great launching point to remember the players.

The Livingston video is kinda like seeing someone double-jointed play with their fingers, only it's his whole freakin' leg. ew!

Rafael: I'm not a pro athlete, but I have dislocated my shoulder. I was able to walk under my own power for two days before it was popped in. Amazingly, despite the pain, a dislocated shoulder in no way affected my ability to walk! In fact, I went around with a dislocated knee for a few days as well and despite the fact that I STILL walk with a slight limp years after the fact I was able to walk after it happened.

Dislocations hurt like hell and the pain can be blinding, but he didn't need a wheelchair.

this may already have been said, but I think it is unfair to keep criticizing wade. We don't know how much pain he was in, and for what it's worth, my father had a similar injury playing football in college, and he also had trouble walking due to the amount of pain he was in. Maybe he is a wuss, but I would disagree.

onlyinboards: I'm not saying it's a bad loss, per se. In fact, Kansas' loss to A&M is one of the better losses on the board (sorry I didn't clarify). Dan made note that he lacks confidence in picks when they lose and I was just illustrating that almost everyone has lost a game in February. It happens. If you're going to say a loss in February causes you to lose confidence in Team A, then a loss in February should also cause you to lose confidence in every other team that has dones so and is tournament bound.

As far as the tourney, I believe I saw a graphic during the OSU-Wisc game that 5 teams are getting in from the Big Ten, with Indiana being the 5th team. I found this surprising since at the beginning of the season the pundits thought two team, and possibly three would get in, and no more than that.

I dislocated my elbow once and while I was laying on the ground with my forearm at a 90 degree angle from the rest of my arm, I actually didnt feel any pain. The doctor said I was suffering from a form of shock, so the pain wasnt registering immediately. Once they moved me and I was on the way to the hospital, it hurt like hell. That may help explain why Livingston took it so well while he was on the court.

Danielle: It's one thing for your father to have trouble walking and possibly require a wheelchair for a dislocated shoulder. However, Dwayne Wade is constantly referred to as "the toughest athlete in the NBA" and so on and for what looked like a fairly standard dislocation, a wheelchair would be a bit much for someone given such a moniker. I realize it's not his fault, and I think a good portion of the backlash is at least subconsciously directed at the media for giving him the distinction.

Moises Alou breaking his leg and ankle rounding first in 1993. Don't remember Kendall but Alou rolling his ankle and the whole ankle and side of his foot was flat on the Busch Stadium turf. Just gruesome because Alou wasn't even doing anything out of the ordinary and over it rolled.

Does anyone remember the Monday Night Football game in, probably 1995, when the Raiders played the Broncos and Napoleon McCallum dislocated his knee (bent it backwards 90 degrees)? That was one of the most painful replays I can remember (along with Theisman and Krumrie I guess).

As far as NCAA Hoops goes, the key for Georgetown to make a deep run (which they will) is to hope their bracket doesn't include teams who play great zone defense. GU relies so heavily on their post players that teams who can keep them from scoring within 15 feet can beat them every time (a la Syracuse).

The key for Ohio State is avoiding teams with excellent perimeter shooting. tOSU relies on the zone defense and have been proven suspect in man to man defense all year. Teams that shoot well from the outside force them out of their zone, limiting the effectiveness of Oden, and make them very beatable.

Random team that will go far -- Virginia. They have great guard play, effective post players, and are a team of upperclassmen who play well together (except in Miami). Kansas and Pittsburgh are both Elite 8 teams, with one FF between them!

No that you've brought up some baseball injuries...does anyone remember the guy who broke his arm like 2 or 3 times throwing a pitch...that was disgusting beyond belief. Just seeing his arm hanging from the elbow...ugh. I think he played for the D-Rays

I think I'm done with the Baseball Hall of *Lame*. Voting is such a huge crock at every level, not just the Veterans' Committee. If Santo can't get in, then there's no hope that my favorite player (Mattingly) ever will.

I was always a fan of the 87 topps set because of that sweet woodgrain on the sides but my two favorite cards are my 84 topps mike witt card. I lived in tustin CA when I was younger. 7 or 8 houses down Country Hills dr. was Mike Witt. Bobby Grich and Doug Decinces lived a few blocks over. They would all take us local kids to games. Mike Witt though would always get us into the clubhouse. After the 86 ALCS we had our annual block party and I asked him to sign that card. To Lamarr Best wishes and dont bail out. Mike Witt. They never should have taken him out and put in Donnie Moore.

My other favorite card is a signed lew burdette bowman card from 58. Was in a box of stuff i got when a relative passed away. It looks so cool.

the guy who played for the devil rays and broke his arm mid pitch was tony saunders. Nice guy a friend of mine works in an office he comes into regularly and she says he used to bring autographed memorabilia from the tampa bay devil ray (S)hit show. My team might suck but they havea few classy guys to offset the elijah dukes and delmon youngs of the world

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DanShanoff.com is a sports-blog spin-off of my long-time ESPN.com column, "The Daily Quickie." Anchored by an early-morning post of must-know topics, the blog is updated frequently throughout the day with new posts and user comments.